- The Green Room
- Posts
- How to Advocate for Yourself When Formal DEI Structures Aren’t In Place: Insights from The Women of Power Summit
How to Advocate for Yourself When Formal DEI Structures Aren’t In Place: Insights from The Women of Power Summit
Amy Lattimore
June 13, 2024
The Conference: 18th Annual Women of Power Summit
About the conference: Black Enterprise’s 18th Annual Women of Power Summit was held on March 27-29th in Las Vegas. Accenture was the host sponsor. Over 1,800 executive women spanning industries and companies like Tidal, Ely Lilly, Amazon and Salesforce gathered to share in community, coaching, and insights for navigating the business world as women of color. A mark for the event was honoring esteemed business trailblazers:
Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments
Judy Smith, Founder and President of Smith & Company
Thasunda Duckett, CEO of TIAA
They received the “Legacy Award for embodying resilience, innovation, and leadership, while perfectly encapsulating the essence and ethos of the Women of Power Summit.”
Other honorees included Luminary awardee Democratic Strategist, and Co-Host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, Symone Sanders Townsend, and more.
The Notes
The panel Withstanding the Attack on DEI delved into the evolving nature of DEI. Examining the recent shifts of companies divesting from DEI programs after the overturning of Affirmative Action, panelists spoke at length on the importance of operationalizing DEI as a strategic imperative, and the need to address the challenges faced by marginalized communities within the workplace.
Moderated by Natalie E. Norfus, Founder, The Norfus Firm, the conversation included DEI executives like:
Audria Pendergrass Lee, Vice President, Talent Acquisition and Chief Diversity Officer, FINRA
Jessica Watson, Director of Talent Engagement & Inclusion, Publicis Groupe US
Mrs. Kelly Copes-Anderson, VP-Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Eli Lilly and Company
Let’s dive in…
How to Advocate for Yourself and Find Sponsors When Formal DEI Structures Aren’t In Place
How to Advocate for Yourself and Find Sponsors When Formal DEI Structures Aren’t In Place
When your organization lacks formal DEI programs, it's time to take matters into your own hands.
Here are the takeaways:
Be Brave and Speak Up About Your Impact
Identify the key stakeholders and decision-makers in your organization
Schedule 1:1 meetings to share your accomplishments and aspirations
Quantify your impact with data and metrics to build a compelling case
Hone your story in a way that people can truly hear you and understand the challenges
"I want you to be brave, and I want you to start by more frequently talking about your impact. What is it that I'm doing in this organization to help make this organization successful? I want you to talk about it."
Find a Sponsor Who Doesn't Look Like You, But Remember Not All Sponsors Are Created Equal.
Mentor ≠ Sponsor. A mentor is someone you talk to, however, they are not always in the rooms where decisions are made. Sponsors are in rooms where decisions are made.
Seek out leaders who can advocate for you and amplify your voice.
Demonstrate your value and potential, not just your current role.
Establish a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and accountability.
"I want you to find someone who doesn't look like you, who gets to be in rooms that you're not in, and say, 'Hey, I need 15 minutes. I want to talk to you about impact that I want to make. But more importantly, the impact I'm already making.'"
Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Self-Advocate
Recognize and communicate your worth and the unique skills you bring to the table.
Lean into discomfort and step outside your comfort zone.
Proactively seek out opportunities to showcase your expertise and potential.
"If you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing, but you have to advocate for yourself because if want to get into the rooms where the decisions are made, that's how people get there."
Hone in on your story so your message is crystal clear
Sometimes our messages get disregarded, because we haven’t tapped into clarity of what we want, or shared it with the people who can make the decision.
Hone your story in a way that people can truly hear you and understand exactly what you want and exactly what you need to get there.
Telling your story can lead to solutions and accountability. It can open up minds.
And I said to him, ‘what would it take for me to move into the business?’ And he was like, ‘I didn't even know you were interested’, which was hard for me [to hear], because I had expressed interest, right? So that meant my message was not getting relayed to people who can make those decisions.”
Next Steps
Check out this podcast: “What’s the DEIL?” by Natalie Norfus and Shanté Gordon
Follow the panelists to hear more about the work they are doing to push for equity.
Check out Black Enterprise and their upcoming events.
Subscribe to The Green Room for more conference notes you should know about, including speaking opportunities, discounts, and our calendar of vetted conferences for the month.
Catch Amy and Bryan on LinkedIn for our weekly conference round-up ripe with conference notes and more conference must-haves!
Reply